1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for converting extrinsic useless oscillation motions such as those of ocean waves into a useful torque, which apparatus is provided with a stationary frame fixedly mounted on a supporting floor of an apparatus's carrier such as marine vessels and the like, in which stationary frame of the apparatus swingably mounted a pair of swinging pendulums subjected to the extrinsic oscillation motions observed in natural phenomena such as ocean waves, wind and the like or the other natural or artificial oscillation motions, so that the swinging pendulums mounted in the stationary frame of the apparatus are swingably driven in the substantially same way as that of gyroscope's gimbals through the extrinsic oscillation motions to produce a useful torque for driving a desired instrument such as an electric generator and like instruments.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Hitherto, in some of vehicles such as marine vessels, land vehicles and the like subjected to extrinsic useless oscillation motions such as those of ocean waves and the like, an apparatus provided with swinging pendulums has been fixedly mounted in the vehicles to convert the extrinsic oscillation motions swingably driving its swinging pendulums into a useful torque for driving a desired instrument.
In the above-mentioned conventional apparatus, a pair of swinging pendulums are usually employed, a first one of which pendulums is swingably mounted on a first horizontal axle, and the other or a second one of which pendulums is swingably mounted on a second horizontal axle perpendicular to the first horizontal axle, to enable each of the swinging pendulums to produce a torque giving each of their horizontal axles a unidirectional rotation.
However, in such conventional apparatus, since the horizontal axles are individually driven, it is difficult to combine both of the unidirectional rotations of the horizontal axles into a single powerful driving force or torque. In other words, in the conventional apparatus, the unidirectional rotations of the horizontal axles remain uncombined to fail to produce a powerful driving force or torque.
In order to resolve the above disadvantage, there has been proposed another conventional apparatus provided with a pair of bevel gears which are rotatably mounted on a common axle through a pair of unidirectional rotating means or one-way clutches while oppositely disposed from each other, between which pair of the bevel gears another bevel gear fixedly mounted on a torque-output shaft is interposed so as to be meshed with both of the pair of bevel gears mounted on the common axle. The one-way clutches enable the pair of bevel gears to rotate on the common axle in opposite directions counter to each other, which makes it possible to rotate the torque-output shaft in only one direction when the common axle is rotatably driven under the influence of extrinsic oscillation motions to which the apparatus is subjected. The common axle of the conventional apparatus is rotatably driven by the swinging pendulums rotatably mounted on the common axle through the one-way clutches. Consequently, in another conventional apparatus, the torque-output shaft is rotatably driven only in a plane perpendicular to a plane in which the swinging pendulums are swingably driven under the influence of the extrinsic oscillation motions.
In addition, in general, since the extrinsic oscillation motions vary in amplitude, direction and cycle every moment, the swinging pendulums of the conventional apparatus also vary in rotational angle, swinging speed and swinging cycle every moment to make it difficult to convert the extrinsic oscillation motions into a constant powerful driving force or torque.